![](\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F2%2F2025%2F08%2Fmeg2_720.jpg?quality%3D90%26strip%3Dall\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Meghan Markle can\u2019t win \u2014\u00a0and it\u2019s her own fault.<\/p>\n
After years of crying wolf about palace life, burning bridges with the royal family and angling to reposition herself as a Hollywood tastemaker, the Duchess of Sussex is trying to play the lifestyle game. <\/p>\n
The problem? She\u2019s not very good at it.<\/p>\n
Her Netflix series,\u00a0\u201cWith Love, Meghan<\/a>,\u201d was supposed to cement her as the next Gwyneth Paltrow. Instead, it reveals the paradox of her brand: Sincere viewers find her out of touch; for people who just want a guilty pleasure, she\u2019s so earnest it\u2019s dead boring<\/p>\n The second season of the show, which dropped this week, follows Markle as she hosts friends and celebrity guests in Montecito, California, where she lives with Prince Harry and their children, Archie, 6, and Lilibet, 4. <\/p>\n A sampling of reviews<\/a>: \u201cBoring.\u201d \u201cTone deaf.\u201d \u201cSelf-indulgent.\u201d<\/p>\n The set features a wide-open farmhouse-style kitchen with white cabinets, an oversized butcher-block island and natural light. The only problem? None of it belongs to Markle. Instead, she rented a nearby multi-million-dollar estate set on five verdant acres. <\/p>\n So much for showing us who she really is.<\/p>\n Former \u201cSuits\u201d actress Markle relies on star power \u2014\u00a0not her own \u2014\u00a0to woo viewers, including chefs David Chang, Jos\u00e9 Andr\u00e9s and Samin Nosrat; pastry queen Christina Tosi; spiritual guru and podcaster Jay Shetty; fashion designer Tan France; and model Chrissy Teigen, who also happens to be Markle\u2019s former\u00a0\u201cDeal Or No Deal.\u201d<\/p>\n But instead of letting them shine, Markle always plays the expert, dominating the action with a hand frother in one hand and a smug, steamrolling smile on her face.\u00a0<\/p>\n Recipes whiz by at lightning speed, too complicated to replicate at home, but, thanks to the magic of editing, Markle miraculously nails every attempt. Sourdough? Perfect. Coconut macaroons? Perfect. Jewelry made from pressed flowers? Perfect. (Should you want to try it yourself, there are instructions on Netflix\u2019s website<\/a>. You\u2019ll need resin tape, UV light and at least 24 hours to make a necklace from flowers you microwaved in a nine-step process.)<\/p>\n But here\u2019s the catch: Even if Meghan leaned into a messier side, it wouldn\u2019t work. If she was seen burning the bread or botching the pressed flowers, critics would still roast her. <\/p>\n That\u2019s because Markle\u2019s \u201cauthenticity\u201d has become so suspect that showing flaws would be seen as just another act. She\u2019s backed herself into a corner where every move rings hollow.<\/p>\n The duchess, desperate to rewrite her story, has alienated most viewers. With bridges burned on every shore, she\u2019s now stranded on an island of her own making.<\/p>\n \u201cWith Love, Meghan\u201d is essentially one long Instagram video of garden porn meets (borrowed) farmhouse chic. There\u2019s no emotional connection \u2014\u00a0and also none of the winking camp that made Paltrow\u2019s ridiculous \u201cThe Goop Lab\u201d series a fun lark.<\/p>\n